“Permitless” Carry Under Consideration In Michigan

Michigan is now among the long list of states where lawmakers are considering deregulating the process of carrying a concealed firearm for self-defense.

Republican Rep. Michele Hoitenga, author of the measure, believes the “permitless” carry measure will help right a wrong in the state’s firearms laws.

“It is currently legal in the state of Michigan for a law-abiding person to openly carry a firearm on their person without any training classes, fees or state bureaucracy. It only becomes illegal when a person puts on a coat, because the gun then becomes concealed,” Hoitenga said. “Our Second Amendment should not be used as a money grab for permit fees.”

A hearing on the proposal was held Tuesday in Lansing, but no firm decisions were made. Consideration of the measure continues this week.

NRA's Chris W. Cox At The 2017 Congressional Shoot-Out

NRA News Producer Cameron Gray recently caught up with NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox at the 2017 Congressional Shoot-Out in Glenn Dale, Md. In a segment airing on "Cam & Co," sponsored by Hornady, Cox said the work didn’t stop on Nov. 8, and he warned of complacency. “If we sit back and don’t engage further, this is going to be a short-term window for us.”

Cox noted that following the election there has been a renewed commitment and energy, as well as increased fundraising efforts, from opponents on the other side. “We have to bring the same moral purpose and same intensity to all of these legislative fights that we brought to the election last year,” he advised.

He also discussed how, with Ryan Zinke the new secretary of the interior, the NRA is hard at work to make hunting and shooting a primary use of federal lands. “Access is a huge issue, particularly out west,” Cox pointed out. “It’s become a bigger and bigger problem under the Obama administration, and now we have an opportunity to revisit some of those issues.”

In the op-ed, Giffords spoke out strongly against a national Right-to Carry reciprocity measure, which would enable law-abiding citizens who can legally carry a firearm in their own state to not become unintentional felons simply by crossing a state line. Yet Giffords tries to make the measure sound like something sinister, saying of reciprocity, “It is clear that guns in dangerous hands make law enforcement officers more vulnerable.”

In truth, Ms. Giffords, Americans who are licensed to carry concealed firearms in their home states throughout the nation are among the most law-abiding of all Americans. (In fact, according to data provided by Florida and Texas, concealed carriers are between six and 10 times less likely to commit a crime than are police officers—who, in turn, are more law-abiding than the general population). Any statement otherwise is nothing more than a lie told by those who would, if given a change, restrict the Second Amendment into oblivion.

Illinois House Committee Approves Measure That Would Close Gun Dealers

On Tuesday, the Illinois House Judiciary Committee passed SB 1657 by a 7-6 vote, moving one step closer to forcing countless local gun dealers out of business.

The measure would require FFLs to submit to onerous mandatory regulations, pay fees potentially in the thousands of dollars, and impose excessive amounts of red tape that would not only endanger current firearms dealers, but would also deter prospective owners from starting new ones to take their place.

As if to make even clearer that this legislation is meant to target the average gun store, the measure would exempt both big-box stores and FFLs who sell fewer than 10 guns a year. But perhaps most galling is the fact that such dealers are already governed by strict regulations at the federal level—and this bill wouldn’t do anything new to increase safety or stop crime.

Use Your Power!

With this bill on its way to the House floor for final consideration, it’s more important than ever that Illinois residents contact their state representatives and strongly urge them to OPPOSE SB 1657. To contact your representative,click here.

Oklahoma Man Holds Home Intruder At Gunpoint Until Police Arrive

If you’re drunk or high, don’t drive. Also, you shouldn’t kick in the door of a stranger’s house. And then you definitely shouldn’t blast open that door if the resident is an armed homeowner.

KOCO-TV is reporting that 28-year-old Travis Thrash burst into a home just south of Oklahoma City and started down the front hallway—while admittedly under the influence of drugs. However, the homeowner, a military veteran, pulled his gun and shielded his wife and three children. You can hear the homeowner telling Thrash to “get on the ground” on the 911 call while the family waited for officers.

Grady County Sheriff Jim Weir calls the suspect lucky. “We have the ‘Make My Day’ Law,” Weir said. “Thrash was lucky the homeowner had the wherewithal, the training, experience—kept him at gunpoint and forced him outside the house.” Thrash, who has other felony and drug charges, was arrested for burglary and public intoxication.